All weather water hydrant



April 12, 1960 w. B. NOLAND ALL WEATHER WATER HYDRANT Filed 00 3, 1958Anvenlor \Va A m .3 m m Md United States Patent 2,932,313 ALL WEATHERWATER HYDRANT Wayne B. Noland, Avon Lake, Iowa, assignor to WoodfordManufacturing Company, Des Moines, Iowa, a corporation of IowaApplication October 3, 1958, Serial No. 765,164

5 Claims. (Cl. 137-339) This invention relates to an all weather waterhydrant and more particularly to a non-draining hydrant that is free ofthe danger of freezing up during the cold months of the year.

There are now many types of equipment for bringing water above groundfrom underground water supply lines. Such equipment takes the form ofyard hydrants, fire hydrants, stock watering means, drinking fountainsand the like. While these devices successfully operate during the warmermonths of the year, they often freeze up and become inoperative orbroken by the water freezing therein during the colder months of theyear. Some effort has been made to solve this problem by providing forthe water in the riser pipe to drainout into a pit or like in the groundafter the valve has been closed. There are many objections to thissolution, i.e., a certain amount of the water is wasted and this wastewater creates an insanitary condition around the hydrant. Also thiswaste water and other foreign matter may well become conta'minatalandwill find its way back into the hydrant and into the fresh water flowingthrough the original. drain hole. A still further objection to thepresent non-freezing hydrant isthat there is a considerable time lapseafter the valve has been turned on and before the water flows throughthe nozzle of the hydrant. Therefore one of the principal objects of myinvention is to provide a freezeless, non-draining and sanitary meansfor making water from a supply line under ground available for use abovethe ground in all temperatures including freezing temperatures.

More specifically the object of this invention is to providea hydrant orlike that utilizes ground temperatures for preventing the like duringthe colder months of the year.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hydrant or likefor use in all climate conditionsthat wastes no water for the preventionof the freezing of the water when subjected to cold temperatures.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a non-freezinghydrant or like that has a supply of water available immediately uponthe opening of the valve.

-A still further object of my invention is to provide a nondraining,non-freezing hydrant or like that is economical in manufacture anddurable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilledintheart.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, andcombination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my hydrant means installed and ready foruse;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device connected to watersupply line and more fully illustrating its internal construction;

freezing of water in the hydrant or,

2,932,313 Patented Apr. 12, 1960 Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectionalview of my device taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

of my hydrant freezing of water is adaptable for use in yard hydrants,

fire hydrants, water fountains and like. However, in the drawings I showthe device for use as an ordinary hydrant. In these drawings 1 have usedthe numeral 10 to designate that part of the ground that is above thenormal frost line 11 of a given climate and the numeral 12 to designatethat part ofthe ground that is below the frost line and therefore at atemperature less than freezing. The numeral 13 designates an ordinarywater line supply pipe communicating with a source of water underpressure and obviously located below the frost line. The numeral 15designates the elongated tubular pipe of my device. The numeral 16designates a cap housing threaded onto the upper end of the pipe 15 andproviding a compartment 17 directly above the upper end of the pipe 13.The

' numeral 18 designates a cap threaded onto and closing e 15 as shown inFig. 2. When the lower end of the pipe 15 as shown in Fig. 2. Thenumeral 19 designates a pipe having an outside diameter less than theinside diameter of the pipe 15. This pipe 19 is positioned and centeredwithin the upper portion of the pipe 15 with its upper end above theupper end of the pipe 15 and terminating inside the compartment 17. Thelower end portion of this pipe 19 however is bent to extend downwardly,outwardly and to the left and terminates near the center length of thepipe 15. When the device is installed the lower end of the pipe 19 whichterminates inside the pipe 15 will be below the frost line and in thevicinity of the water supply pipe 13 as shown in Fig; 4. The numeral 20'designates a tubular elongated pipe having an outside diametersubstantially less than the inside diameter of the pipe 15. This pipe 20is centered within the lower portion of the pipe 15 and has its loweropen end terminating inside the pipe 15 and above the lower end of thepipe 15. The upper end 'portion of the pipe 20 is. bent upwardly andoutwardlyand to the right as shown in Fig. 4. This upper bent portion ofthe pipe 20is adjacent to and complements the lower bent portion of thepipe 19. The pipe 20 has its upper end terminating inside the pipe 15below the frost line and adjacent the water supply pipe 13. When thedevice is installed the water supply pipe 13 is threaded into the sideofpipe 15 and its outlet end communicates with the open upperend of thepipe 20 and also the space 21 aroun'dthe pipe 19 in the upper endportion of the pipe the device is installed to a supply pipe 13 themajor portion of the length of the device will be imbedded in the ground10 and 12. The depth the device isimbedded in the ground will of coursedepend upon climatic conditions but in general the lower end.of'the'pipe 19 and the upper end of the pipe 20 will be below the normalfrost line 11. The extreme upper. P ItiOn of the hydrant will of coursebe above the ground level:22 as shown in Fig. 1,; The numeral 23designates an enclosed housing embracing the upper portion of the pipe15 and loosely embracing the cap 16. The inside diameter of this houisng23 is substantially greater than that of the outside diameter of thepipe 15 in order to provide an enclosed air space 24. The lower end ofthis pipe housing 23 extends below the frost line 11. The numeral 25designates an ordinary manually operated hydrant valve having its exitend communicating with the outside atmosphere and its entrance endextending through the upper portion of the housing 23 and threaded intothe cap 16 for communication with the inside of the cap 16. When thedevice is installed in the ground as shown in Fig. 2, the supply waterin the unit will not freeze and no draining is necessary even in thecoldest months of the year. Several factors combine/to make this desiredresult possible. Firstly, mostof the ineorn ing water through the supplypipe 13 Willbe directed into the bent receiving upper end of the pipe20. This por tion of the water which isof a temperature substantiallyabove freezing temperature moves downwardly'through the pipe 20 andthence upwardly through the space between the pipe 20 and lower portionof the pipe 15. Both the pipe 20 and the lower portion of the pipe 15are substantially below the frost line and the water picks up heat unitswhereby the water moving upwardly through the pipe 19 and through thespace 21;,will be of a temperature higher than that of the waterentering the water has its lower portion maintained above freezingtemperatures, its upper area will not freeze. The reason for this isthatthe water itself circulates. The cold water particles move downwardlyand are replaced by the ,upwardly moving warm water particles. Most ofthe moving water particles will be in the space around the pipe 19,because the top of'the pipe 19 is above the top of the pipe 15, and alsothe water in the space 21 will be closer to the outside cold atmospherethan the inside of the pipe 19.

My device is not only successful against freezing but is of long troublefree life.

- ..;Some changes may be made in the construction and ar rangement of myall weather water hydrant without departing from the real spirit andpurpose of my inventiornjv and it is my intention to cover by my claims,any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents whichmay be reasonably included within their scope. I claim: 1. In a hydrant,an elongated tubular member-closed at both ends andhaving a lower belowfrost line por-- tion and an upper above frost line portion, a supplypipe communicating with the inside upper area of the lower portion ofsaid tubular member, a centrally located pipe tion and an upper abovefrost line portion, a supply pipe communicating with the inside upperarea of the lower portion of said tubular member, a pipe in the lowerportion of said tubular member having its upper open end bent towardsaid supply pipe and of an outside diameter substantially less than theinside diameter of said tubular member, a pipe in the upper portion ofsaid tubular member, having its lower end bent away from said supplypipe and of an outside diameter substantially less than the inside ofsaid tubular member, and a valve controlled outlet in the upper portionof said tubular member.

3; In a hydrant, an elongated tubular member closed at both ends andhaving a lower below frost line portion and an upper above frost lineportion, a supply pipe communicating with the inside upper area of thelower portion of said tubular member, a centrally located pipe in thelower portion of said tubular member having its upper open endbenttoward said supply pipe and of an outside diameter substantiallyless than the inside diameter of said tubular member, a centrallylocated pipe in the upper portion of said tubular member, having itslower-end bent away from said supply'pipeand of an outside diametersubstantially less than the inside of said a tubular member, and a valvecontrolled outlet in the I for this is that if an elongated column ofenclosed still 7 upper portion of said tubular member; saidfirst men-.

tioned pipe terminating prior to the lower end of said tubular memberand said second mentioned pipe terminating prior to the upper end ofsaid tubular member.

4. In a hydrant, an elongated tubular member closed atboth ends andhaving a lower below frost line portion and an upper above frost lineportion, a supply pipe communicating with the inside upper area of thelower ber of an outside diameter substantially less than the in-Q sideof said tubular member, and a valve controlled outin the lower portionof said tubular member having itsupper open end bent toward said supplypipe and of an outside diameter substantially less than the insidediameter of said tubular member, a centrally located pipe in the upper,portion of said tubular member, having its lower end bentaway frornsaidsupply pipe and of an outside diameter substantially less than theinsideof said tubular member, and a valve controlled outletin the upperportion of said tubular member.

2. In a hydrant, an elongated tubular member closed' at'both ends andhaving a lower below frost line porportion of said tubular member, apipe in the lower portion of said tubular member of an outside diametersubstantially less than the inside diameter of said tubular member, apipe in the upper portion of said tubular memlet in the upper portion ofsaid tubular member.

In a hydrant, an elongated tubular member closed at both ends and havinga lower below frost line portion and an upper above frostline portion, asupplypipe communicating with the inside upper area ofthe lower portionof said tubular member, a pipe in the lower pop tion of said tubularmember of an outside diameter substantially less than the insidediameter of said tubular member, a pipe in the upper portion of saidtubular member of an outside diameter substantially less than the insideof said tubular. member, a valve controlled out-,

let in' the upper portion of said tubular member, and a tubular housingof an inside diameter substantially greater than that of the outsidediameter of said tubular member embracing the upper portion of saidtubular "member,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,845Bower May 22, 1866 349,202 Bassett Sept. 14, 1886 5239,3571 Link Aug.31, 1897. 822,920 Callaghan Iune 12, 1906 1,322,014 7 Hanna Nov. 18,1919 s i July 7, -9

